Learn the Proper Use of the Verbs Aru and Iru in Japanese

When speaking, we say "there is" or "there are" for both inanimate and animate objects. In Japanese, different verbs exist to express that phrase. Learn how to use ある (aru) and いる (iru) in Japanese sentences, and when it is appropriate to use each form.

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In English, we have the phrases “there is" or “there are" to refer to items, whether inanimate or animate objects. In Japanese, however, we have separate verbs: ある (aru) is used for inanimate objects, while いる (iru) is used for animate objects. ある and いる are useful verbs in describing where things are or identifying objects.

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ある (aru) — For Inanimate Objects

あるis used when we are talking about non-living things, such as a building, a possession or an event that is going to take place. Unlike other Japanese verbs, ある uses the particle に instead of で to indicate location. Let's look at the sentence formation when using ある:

(place に) thing が ある

The place + に is optional: sometimes we may use a ある sentence and we do not have a specific location. For example:

えんぴつ が あります (enpitsu ga arimasu) There is a pencil (this can also mean I have a pencil).